The Place We Met is published on 30th November, and you can buy it here and at other booksellers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph at Penguin for the ARC.

The Blurb

Taggie is only a few months into her job as a tour guide in Lake Como. She's rushed off her feet, but distraction is what she needs to forget why she left England.

Lucy arrives at Lake Como with her perfect new boyfriend, Pete. Falling fast in love, she's sure that life is about to start for her, it feels so right with him.

But as New Year's Eve approaches and the women meet by chance, it becomes clear this isn't the perfect place of new beginnings. While Lucy is willing to do anything to keep hold of Pete, the past Taggie so desperately wanted to escape is catching up with her . . .

My Review

I really do think the Tourist Boards in the places featured in Isabelle's novels owe her big time. Again, her descriptions of the scenery make you just want to hop on a plane straightaway. Sights and sounds are depicted perfectly, immersing the reader into the surroundings of the story.

We have two protagonists in The Place We Met, Taggie and Lucy, two strangers whose stories entwine in the beautiful setting of the Italian lakes. They are two very different women; Taggie, determined not to let herself be hurt by anyone ever again, and Lucy, who is in the first flushes of romance with her boyfriend, Pete.

As ever, one of the book's strong points is the supporting cast; the elderly Elsie, a strong-willed lady with a rebellious streak; Taggie's friend and co-worker, Shelley; the hilarious couple Gladys and Will-yum, and of course our dark, brooding hero, Marco. Each character is written with such care and depth, we feel we know them instantly.

Heartbreak, jealousy, determination... it's all here, written with the author's usual humour and warmth, resulting in a story that is heartwarming, romantic and uplifting, tugging at the emotions.

Now where are we going next, Isabelle?

About the Author

Isabelle Broom was born in Cambridge nine days before the 1980s began and studied Media Arts at the University of West London before starting a career first in local newspapers and then as a sub editor at heat magazine. Nowadays, when she’s not writing novels set in far-flung locations, Isabelle spends her time being the Book Reviews Editor at heat and walking her beloved dog across the Suffolk water meadows.

Her novels My Map Of You, A Year And A Day & Then. Now. Always. (published by Penguin Michael Joseph) are out now. The fourth, The Place We Met, will arrive in November.